


skeleton crew

by penelopepeaches



Category: Nancy Drew (TV 2019)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Developing Relationship, F/M, Short One Shot, Talking about non-romantic feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29687064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penelopepeaches/pseuds/penelopepeaches
Summary: Nancy and Ace work late at The Claw.
Relationships: Ace/Nancy Drew
Comments: 10
Kudos: 82





	skeleton crew

**Author's Note:**

> canon?? idk her. written before 2x06

Nancy slumped into a booth, Ace right behind her.

“Fridays suck,” she said, sinking further into her seat. Ace hummed in agreement.

The closing shift had been a nightmare. With everyone else taking off early, it was just Nancy and Ace fending off a late-night swarm of hungry tourists. Nancy was starting to miss the days when The Claw was perpetually empty.

By the time the customers had left, and they swept and cleaned the kitchen, it was almost midnight and Nancy was exhausted. Ace looked just as tired, and was quieter than usual. Which was saying something.

Nancy shifted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulders. He ran his hand absentmindedly down her back.

This was…sort of a new thing for them. They’d always been close, physically at least, but casual cuddles were a step up from their usual looks and nudges. It was sort of an unspoken thing between them now, that whenever they closed together, they’d end the night snuggling in one of the booths. It was a proverbial grey area and would probably lead to a serious relationship talk Nancy seriously wasn’t in the mood for. But she couldn’t say she didn’t look forward to their little tradition, it made the skeleton crew nights a bit more bearable.

She looked up at Ace, who was intently studying a broom in the corner, brow furrowed. Nancy sat up a little bit. 

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

He looked at her, and then away again. He focused on his hands, running one over the other in smooth circular motions. 

Nancy didn’t expect an answer, at least not an earnest one, and Ace knew that. He decided to give her one anyway.

“You remember how McGinnis caught me hacking into that government database,’ he said, more than asked, looking down the entire time.

“Of course,” Nancy said.

Ace let out a shaky breath. Sensing him tense up, Nancy slipped her hand over his. Something else new, that. It felt a little forward, maybe even unwarranted, until Ace took her hand, gently tracing over the lines of her palms.

“I was looking for a number. My brother,” he paused to look up at Nancy. Her face revealed nothing. Secret relatives weren’t really anything new to her. “My brother,” he continued, “Is in Witness Protection.”

Nancy squeezed his hand, urging him to go on.

“I tried calling him before, you know, the Aglaeca, but he never got back to me.” His eyes were fixed on hers now, something that felt staggeringly intimate combined with their close proximity and intertwined hands. 

“Until?” Nancy asked, sensing where this was going.

“He left me a voicemail last night. Haven’t listened to it yet.” He shrugged it off, like what he was saying didn’t matter that much to him. But Nancy knew him too well to fall for that façade. 

“Well,” said Nancy, “When you do, I’m here for you. Anything you need. I owe you that much?”

“Anything? I could go for a burger right about now.” It was a poor attempt at a joke, but Nancy smiled at it nonetheless, nudging him with her shoulder.

“I said when you do. But I meant it.”

It went unsaid between them. The same thing Nancy was offering now, he once offered her. It was only a few weeks ago that she’d found the words to share with him, about Lucy Sable, Ryan, Carson, all of it. It was that night that began their little tradition. A tradition that had brought them here.

“Thanks,” said Ace, his hand still tracing the grooves of hers, over and over, in tiny loops.

They were incredibly close, closer than they should’ve been, though not as close as Nancy would’ve liked to be (though she refused to admit that to herself). He was looking at her, and she was looking right back. And she wouldn’t lie and say it didn’t feel like they were about to kiss.

Here’s the thing about kisses: when you feel like you’re about to kiss, you probably are.

It was slow. Like watching a photo burst in first person. Ace cupped her cheek, scanning her face for something. He must have found whatever he was looking for, because he tilted his head down slightly and kissed her. There was no fervency in the kiss, no desperation, just the pure fun of kissing someone you want. It was the kind of kiss that promised more, if that’s what she wanted. 

They broke away, Ace throwing his arm around Nancy. They giggled, apparently they were the kind of people who giggled now, and cuddled closer. They stayed there for a few more minutes, enjoying the quiet and each other’s company, before Ace practically belted out a yawn, and the two of them headed out.

They walked to the parking lot together, feeling lighter, before heading their separate ways. Though not before Nancy collected on the promise of more kisses.

Maybe closing shifts weren’t that bad. Scratch that, they definitely are, but sometimes what comes after work more than makes up for it.

**Author's Note:**

> besties should i go against my catholic upbringing and write some soft smut. asking for a friend, who coincidentally, is me.


End file.
